Florida’s Negro War: Black Seminoles and the Second Seminole War

Author and historian Dr. Anthony Dixon joined us virtually via Zoom webinar to share about his book "Florida’s Negro War: Black Seminoles and the Second Seminole War."

From 1817 to 1858, the United States government engaged in a bitter conflict with the Seminole Nation. This conflict would result in three distinct wars. The Second Seminole War (1835-1842) was conducted under the Indian Removal Policy of the 1830’s. This war was a result of the American plantation societies’ relentless efforts to enslave the Black Seminole population. The United States government’s objective became to return as many Black Seminoles as possible, if not all, to slavery.

Evidence proves that the efforts of the U.S. military to place Blacks in bondage were not only a major underlying theme throughout the War, but at various points, the primary goal. It is clear that from the onset of the war, the United States government, military, and state militias grossly underestimated both the determination and the willingness of the Black Seminole to resist at all costs. Thus, this book not only makes the argument that the Second Seminole War was indeed a slave rebellion, but perhaps the most successful one in United States history.